Upper Saucon Township supervisors awarded a $1.2 million contract Monday night to build a municipal water well at the Ridge and Valley Rod & Gun Club.
Adding to its single existing municipal well, the Gun Club well should provide the township with enough water to last for at least the next 20 years, said Township Manager Thomas F. Beil.
The project is expected to reduce, if not eliminate, the township’s dependence on the city of Bethlehem as a water supplier. The township currently spends between $50,000 and $100,000 a year to buy water from the city during times of high demand, Beil said.
More important, a second well makes it less likely that the township’s water supply will be devastated by a contaminated aquifer at its lone well, said Supervisor Jack DeMatos. “Right now, we have all our eggs in one basket,” Beil agreed.
Mid-State Utility Contractors of Lebanon will build the new well and connect it to the rest of the township’s water system. The plan is to begin building by April and have construction completed by the end of the year, Beil said.
There is one stumbling block to the project. A property owner along the planned water main leading from the well has declined the township’s financial offer for an easement along one side of his property line.
Supervisors unanimously voted to pursue condemnation for a portion of the property, which is at 7532 Blue Church Road South.
